TVR calls it quits in UK
Despite having raised the hopes of workers and proud TVR enthusiasts in the UK, Russian owner Nikolai Smolensky has announced that he will be moving production of the niche sportscars out of the UK to another undisclosed European country. The move will result in 250 workers being laid off at the company's Blackpool assembly plant. The Transport and General Workers' Union that represents the TVR workforce said it was "bitterly disappointed" over the decision, especially considering that temporarily laid-off workers were rehired back in July and Smolensky had just moved his operations into a new facility within Blackpool. Smolensky seems to have mastered the art of false hope, having also announced in the past year that he would double TVR's production with a new lineup and may begin selling cars in the U.S. Pardon us if we don't get our hopes up.
[Source: BBC]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
mike w. 11:55AM (10/18/2006)
I think Ford should buy TVR's assets, label them as Jaguars and then make a killing. Why wouldn't this work? These are the cars that Jaguars should be, powerful, low to the ground, slightly eccentric in a British way.
Maybe if I rummage through my couch cushions I could buy both brands and make this work.
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MGizzle 12:02PM (10/18/2006)
I think the young fella was reminded to read government regulations on cars in order to sell them in the US. I am very sure he didn't like it. TVR was one of my favorite brands but lets be fair....the cars are uncontrolable, unsafe and stupid fast. The Sagaris is probably the first that is "user friendly" and who the heck wants to spend money on that??? With cars like the skyline, M3 etc coming out the TVR cars would disapear in months.
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Finished Law School 12:07PM (10/18/2006)
As long as I can still by my Sagaris I don't care where in Europe they are located.
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Bob-o 12:11PM (10/18/2006)
Ralph Nader would have a field day if TVR started selling here.
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Ian 12:17PM (10/18/2006)
I was just in the UK. I don 't know how they can build anything at a price which sells. Labor for sriv=ce for a Mercedes car is now in a range of Pds 100.00-120.00 per hour. With unit labor costs country wide like that no wonder companies move to Eastern Europe.
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mk 12:22PM (10/18/2006)
I hope this doesn't spell bad news for TVR. I know we can't buy them, but they are some of the most interesting sports cars extant.
Moving, then not moving, then moving again, then leaving England...
I just wonder where else in europe Smolenski is going to find a work force that can build cottage-industry sports cars. England is the big player there. Quality may have been suspect due to the sheer amount of off-the-drawing-board parts content, and limited capital, but it could get worse in some other countries with an inexperienced workforce, and the same issues.
It is too bad the US market is so strangled by regulation. It is not as though TVR or any of those small companies are going to challenge the bigger players's sales figures, and the red tape keeps those small players out, or at least takes a big chunk out of what they can do.
I'd love to aspire to, and save up for just about any late model TVR, if they could be sold and supported in the US... I just don't see it happening for many reasons, both with the US market, and what TVR seems to be doing...
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Spaceweasel 12:43PM (10/18/2006)
TVRs always fell into that broad catagory of cars I'm glad are on the road, but that I'd never put money into. Awesome styling, and, sure, rampant oversteer looks cool - but do you really want an overpriced, underbuilt auto with unobtainable parts? I hope Nikolai can find someone who can bring the cars up to date without losing their in-your-face charm.
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felonious monk 12:58PM (10/18/2006)
"I think Ford should buy TVR's assets, label them as Jaguars and then make a killing. Why wouldn't this work? These are the cars that Jaguars should be, powerful, low to the ground, slightly eccentric in a British way."
Why not? because Ford will manage to fuck it up. Whatever head turning excitement the TVRs have will be replaced by Ford corporate mundanity and it would just fade and eventually deemed moot and axed by Ford's legion of bean counters.
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Will Wheeler 1:11PM (10/18/2006)
If by build in Eastern Europe, he means sell the company to the Chinese, then I believe it.
I'm only being cynical, so don't try to correct me with your "facts".
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cars power 1:31PM (10/18/2006)
what's the consideration for it's plan ?
cheap workers in Eastern Europe, quality in Western Europe (Germany) ? ...
http://www.cars-specifications.com/
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gbh 1:41PM (10/18/2006)
Smolenski's a weasel, and I'm being generous.
Child of Russsian mobster, err, banker. Yeah, whatever. If you thought this was going to work, you also believed that old hustler Malcom and Chery were going to have cars in the US in, what was it, 2007? Uh, huh.
(Don't get me wrong. The Chinese cars are coming. Just not via Malcolms latest dog and BS show.)
This was pre-ordained the minute he bought the company. This is nothing new, remember when the Golden Triangle drug lords owned Lamborghini?
There really is a workforce available. Kirkham builds a very high quality aluminum Cobra in Poland. Paying former engineers pretty well by Polish standards, but like McDonald's employees in US/UK terms.
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Fabulo 2:28PM (10/18/2006)
That kind of turmoil does not help confidence. Especially when everyone gets laid off. I wonder where he is going to build his new factory (or where he is going to partner with an existing factory) Turkey? Estonia? Poland?
How are the cars going to compare? mmm...
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Andy 4:17PM (10/18/2006)
The shame of it all is that TVR made a comeback in the early '90s. The Griffith was a beautiful and exciting sports car, one that a lot of Americans (myself included) wish came here. I can see why TVR would have a hard time mounting a third coming. British and European labor groups are more powerful than they are here in the United States, and making worker sacrifices became an insurmountable task in this case.
I would argue with #8 on the Ford matter. Ford saved Jaguar, which was in a quality crisis that matched Ford's before the Taurus. Jaguar recovered from being on the brink, and its sedans improved in safety, performance, and reliability--though the firm is hardly cutting edge in those categories. The XJ220, Jaguar's finest sports car since the XJ13 prototype, was completed under Ford ownership. Aston-Martin saw production numbers jump from around 500 per year to almost 5,000. Volvos were some of the worst cars you could buy in the 1980s; since Ford's buyout, Volvo has enjoyed a high reputation for passenger safety. Land Rover lost money for BMW; Ford made a profit from it. The Ford brand produced the GT sports car, without any signs of accountant interference.
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felonious monk 4:34PM (10/18/2006)
#12, it is you sir who is an idiot.
The arguement was never about quality. It was about brand image and the products that support that image.
Yes, quality would be better if Ford buys TVR, but the styling changes for the sake of integrating quality into production will surely take a toll.
Learn to F'ing read.
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fizzandpop 4:49PM (10/18/2006)
They do make and sell TVRs in the US, they're called Corvettes. Drive 'em both and you'll see so many similarities. Gobs of power for as little money as possible. Placky bodies, amateur interiors. Where the Corvette differs is in stuff like, er, the parking brake won't cut your hand, the door handles are not hidden under the fuel filler cap, stuff like that. Selling TVR to Ford is laughably stupid. But GM have a bunch of dudes who know how to cut corners and get a great, if compromised product out. Ship half the UK employees over to the US, have a week long party with the Corvette guys, then set about making a new sports car. The only contact they need to have with GM headquarters is when they back up the Brinks truck to collect the profits. Make this happen please.
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DPC car videos 4:50PM (10/18/2006)
If Ford buys this car it could become their Viper:)
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naggs 5:48PM (10/18/2006)
i give TVR a 50% chance of ever making another car.
too bad, they are so cool, they will be missed
sucks for the employees who got hired fired rehired then fired again.
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samuel 5:51PM (10/18/2006)
Felonious Monk, I can read. I am afraid you're still the idiot here. Aston Martin has produced cars that many consider to be among the most beautiful and characterful cars available today, and all under Fords ownership. Their brand image is stronger than ever. The quality aspect is just a bonus. The stupidity of posters like you continues to amaze.
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Gavin Jones 10:07PM (10/18/2006)
Wow chill out you lot. It's OK to have a difference of opinion without being branded an idiot. As an owner of a TVR Chimaera from new, I know a thing or two about the cars and the company. I also currently live in the US and had emailed TVR the day they announced a plan to build for the US market (as I sadly had to leave mine behind in London).
1) You don't buy a TVR if your looking for the reliability of a Ford Fusion. You buy a TVR because it looks jaw-droppingly stunning and drives like a you've harnessed a growling pack of tigers to the front of 'very light thing'.
2) Any major car manufacturer that bought TVR could leverage their workforce, design tools, testing facilities and sourcing strengths to improve the financial viability of the TVR brand. It doesn't mean they would have to put in 21 air bags and seat back passenger LCD screens. (The Aston Martin example is a good one).
3) Wherever Smolenski's off to with Blackpools crown jewels, I just hope he is able to keep the brand running and the design ethos alive. If he does, then maybe I can buy another one, if he doesn't then it's just another sad day for the English Sports car industry. Triumph Stag anyone?
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Tom Design 10:41PM (10/18/2006)
I'm with mk and Spaceweasel: Sad loss of a spirited, private club of employees who dreampt cars and built their dream. It will not be the same soul in the TVR.
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